Preregulating device for time



March 28, 1950 J. A. JONSSON 2,501,904

PREREGULATING DEVICE FOR TIME. RECORDERS Filed Sept. 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 28, 1950 J. A. JONSSON 2,501,904

PREREGULATING DEVICE FOR TIME RECORDERS Filed Sept. 12, 1944 2 SheetS-Sheec 2 2 /0 Fig. 3

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 PREREGULATING DEVICE FOR TIME RECORDERS Johan Albin Jonsson, Stockholm, Sweden, as-

signor to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, a company of Sweden Application September 12, 1944, Serial No. 553,774 In Sweden September 1, 1943 10 Claims. (Cl. 346-82) This invention relates to improvements in machines for perforating record cards and has for its object to provide means for preventing the fraudulent punching of the cards.

In the accompanying drawing wherein an approved embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation partly in section of a punching mechanism showing the invention applied thereto.

Figures 2 and 3 are views similar to Figure 1 but showing the parts in different positions.

Referring to the drawing in detail the numeral I indicates a holder for the insertion of a card It to be perforated. A two-armed lever 3 is pivotally mounted at 3 and the lower extremity thereof is normally held in the path of a card inserted in the holder I by the tension of a spring 4, the movement of the lower arm under the influence of the spring being limited by a stop 6. A lever 5 is pivotally mounted at 8 and is connected by an arm I with the lower extremity of the spring 4. As evident from comparison of Figures 1 and 2, the upper extremities of the levers3and5are capable of limited relative movement and when the lower arm of the lever 3 is engaged by a card II] introduced in the holder, said lever is swung to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the tension of the spring 4 becomes operative to tilt the lever 5 so that the feeler pin 42 carried thereby is caused to enter a perforation previously formed in the card I inserted in the holder.

In case the card III has not been previously perforated, the feeler pin 42 remains in the position shown in Figure 2 and the card I0 is fully inserted in the holder to the extent indicated and in this case the lower extremity of the card engages and tilts the lever composed of the two arms IIII which is mounted to swing about a pivot I2 and is movable between two stop members I3 and IT.

The lower arm of the lever II is normally maintained in elevated position against the stop member I3 by a pin I4 which engages the upper end of said lever and is secured to a crank arm I secured to a shaft IE. The shaft I6 and parts thus far described may be conveniently mounted upon a support 46 of suitable form and a disc I8 is secured to the shaft I6 and is provided with a crank pin I9 connected by a link 2! with a pawl 23 pivotally mounted at 24. Due to the weight of the pawl 23 and the link 2| the disc I8 together with the shaft I6 are normally held in such angular position that the pin I4 is engaged with the lever I I and the lower arm thereof is normally maintained in raised position.

When the lever II is swung clockwise incident to the insertion of a card, its movement is arrested by the lower stop member I'I. Incident to the turning movement of the lever II the crank arm I5, shaft I6 and disc I8 are turned through an angle sufficient to raise the link 2I and the pawl 23 and disengage the latter from the teeth of the segment 25. The toothed segment 25 is mounted on an operating shaft 2'5 provided with an operating handle 21 and the arrangement is such that when the pawl 23 is lifted and the toothed segment 25 is released the operating shaft 26 may be operated. An arm 28 is fixed to the shaft 26 and is provided with a member 29 on which a block 3| is supported. The block 3I is engageable with the lower extremity of the lower punch actuating lever 32 pivotally mounted at 33 and provided at its upper end with a pin 34 engaging in a slot 3'! in the upper punch actuating lever 35 pivotally mounted at 36. The upper extremity of the lever 35 is slotted as at 38 and engages a pin 39 on the card punching member 41 slidably mounted in the support 46. When the punching member AI is moved axially through the holder I and the die member it forms a perforation in the card II] at a point spaced a predetermined distance below the feeler pin 22. The die member 49 is preferably provided in a part located on the side of the holder I opposite the pin 42.

Motion is imparted to the levers 32 and 35 and to the punch member 4| when the shaft 26 is turned clockwise and when the block 3I has passed the lower extremity of the lever 32, the latter is pulled back against a stop member 4'? by a spring 28 secured at 5| and attached at 49 to said lever. When the handle 21 is released and the card I0 is withdrawn the toothed segment 25 is restored to the position shown in Figure 1 and the pawl 23 re-engages the teeth of said segment to lock the mechanism against operation.

When a card is inserted which has been previously perforated, it is moved downwardly into the holder I until the lowermost perforation is disposed in line with the feeler pin 42 whereupon the lever 5 is swung about the pivot 8 by the spring 4 until it assumes the position shown in Figure 3. In this position of the lever B a projection 43 thereon engages a second pin 44 on the crank arm I5 and thereby turns the shaft I5 and the disc IS in the counter clockwise direction. The link 2| and pawl 23 are thus raised so as to disengage atoreoa the teeth of the segment 25 and permit operation of the shaft 26 and during this operation a fresh hole in the proper position is punched in the card ID by the punching member ll. At each operation, a hole is punched in the card a step farther down so that all of the recordings are made one below the other.

From the foregoing it is evident that the punch member 4| can be operated by the handle 21 only when the lever H is actuated upon the complete insertion of the card or when the point of the feeler pin 42 has penetrated a perforation previously formed in the card. It is further evident that in punching an inperforate card it is impossible to retract the card to cause an erroneous punch mark to be made therein because when an attempt to do so is made the raised card will release the lower arm of the lever ll thereby permitting the pawl 23 to descend and engage one of the teeth of the segment 25 thus locking the main operating shaft 26 against movement. Fraudulent punching of a card previously perforated is prevented by the inclined or beveled lower surface 42a of the feeler pin 42. When an attempt is made to partially raise the card after the feeler pin 42 has entered the previous perforation, the inclined surface 42a operates to deflect the lever 5 from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 1 and in so doing the projection 43 is withdrawn from the crank pin 44 and the pawl 23 is permitted to descend and lock the segment so that operation of the shaft 25 and the punching member 4| is positively prevented.

I claim:

1. In a time recorder, a card holder, an operating shaft, a feeler member engageable in a per foration in a card and limiting the insertion of the card in the card holder in dependence upon the location of the perforation in the card, means operated upon initiation of withdrawal of the card from the holder to move the feeler member out of perforation engaging position, and releaseable means controlled by said feeler member for locking said shaft against operation.

2. In a time recorder, a card holder, an operating shaft, means normally effective to lock said shaft against operation, means to release said locking means, a feeler member movable to a position to enter a perforation in a card inserted in said holder and operable in said position to render said release means effective to release said locking means, and means on said feeler member actuated by said card upon initiation of withdrawal of the latter from the holder to displace said feeler member to a position rendering said release means ineffective with respect to said locking means whereby said locking means is freed to re-look said shaft.

3. A time recorder as claimed in claim 1 provided with means rendered effective upon the insertion of a card in said holder to move the feeler member against the card.

l. A time recorder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking means is effective in various angular positions of the operating shaft to lock said shaft against operation.

5. A time recorder as claimed in claim 2 wherein said locking means is operable to lock the operating shaft in various angular positions.

6. A time recorder as claimed in claim 2 provided with means operated by a card inserted in the holder for yieldably moving the feeler member toward the card.

'7. A time recorder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means fo displacing the feeler member is constituted by an inclined surface on said member operable during the withdrawal of a card to deflect the feeler member out of engagement with the card perforation.

8. A time recorder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means for displacing the feeler member is constituted by an inclined surface on said member operable during the withdrawal of a card to defiect the feeler member out of engagement with the card perforation, said feeler member being constituted in part by a lever co-acting with said release means.

9. A time recorder as claimed in claim 2 wherein said feele member is in the form of a pin having a portion coacting with the edge of a perforation in the card to limit the insertion of said card in the holder, said displacing means being constituted by an inclined surface on said feeler member.

10. A time recorder as claimed in o1aim'2 wherein said release means is constituted in part by a rotatable member angularly displaceable by said feele member upon the entry of said member in a card perforation.

JOI-IAN ALBIN J ONSSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,088,672 Bundy Feb. 24, 1914 1,215,683 McCabe Feb. 13, 1917 1,348,218 Goss et al Aug. 3, 1920 1,664,523 Miles Apr. 3, 1928 2,171,167 Streckfuss Aug. 29, 1939 

